With the release of their second major label offering The Sufferer & The Witness, Chicago’s Rise Against have cemented themselves as a punk rock tour-de-force; releasing one consistently strong album after another. They’ve brought a heightened sense of awareness to the masses and unlike some of their counterparts whose form “rebellion” comes packaged and produced, Rise Against share their message the old fashioned way- by touring like there’s no tomorrow. With the new record making waves and an ever-increasing tour itinerary, Tim McIlrath recently had a chat with Sound the Sirens about their current role in the musical landscape and how honesty in what they do, means everything to them and their fans.

The Sufferer & The Witness is a fantastic record through and through; did a lot of its success come from learning from recording Siren Song…?

McIlrath: To be honest, what I think really helped shape this record was the fact that we didn’t over-think it too much. We wrote these songs in a very short period of time, and they just seemed to flow out of us. With few exceptions, these songs just seemed to write themselves and the roads that we chose to follow with each one were clearly marked. That said, we certainly learn something every time we record, so our Siren Song sessions played a role in our continuing education on how to be this band.

Did the approach to the new material differ to what you’ve done in the past?

McIlrath: I think just being in a good place, mentally, really had a huge impact on this record. We were over label transitions and member changes and becoming acquainted with new people we work with and we found ourselves really happy with our situation all around. We are surrounded by supportive people and supportive fans and that helped fuel these songs. We were able to focus 100% on the music and keep our heads completely in the game. But we’ve approached each record the same, regardless of what label put it out.

It must have been a blast working with Bill Stevenson and Jason Livermore.

McIlrath: Bill and Jason are the best production team in punk rock right now; no one can touch them. In addition to that, they are some of this band’s best friends and fifth and sixth members, so it was really the most ideal situation.

Your music is more than just about social change. There are songs about personal issues, human emotion, and a constant struggle to find our place in life.

McIlrath: That’s because there is more to life than social change, and our songs have been about life. Social change is definitely a predominant theme to a lot of what we do, but we don’t ignore the fact that we are all human and have emotions and feelings that transcend anything political. Life is complex, and I think our songs span those complexities.

Is that what songs like Injection are about? In a way, finding ourselves in this vast world?

McIlrath: Definitely.

Has politics and “rebellion,” in the wake of the Green Days of the world, become a rather “commercialized entity” not so much a “force for change” anymore? Can it still be?

McIlrath: Rebellion and revolution will always be commercialized once it reaches a certain point of exposure. Revolution has been and will be commodified and sold back to us by big business. The system is not afraid of the rhetoric of revolution; that shit has been floating around since the days of the hippies. What they fear is education. That’s why subversive music, literature and art are so important. This type of artistic output is definitely a force of change and I hope that its torch is carried to the next generation, as it was carried to people like me from the previous generation.

What sorts of projects are you involved with outside of music?

McIlrath: You need only to peek at our tour schedule to know that we don’t have a life outside of music. We’ve chosen an occupation that really doesn’t allow for such luxuries unless you’re a giant rockstar who can afford to take vacations from the road. In the wake of downloading and filesharing, the only way we keep a roof over our heads is through constant touring.

It’s been seven years since you came together. How true are you to the original vision now? Are you where you expected to be after seven years?

McIlrath: To be honest, there was no real original vision. We just started playing together for fun. We didn’t map any of this out and I honestly never thought it would ever get this big. The ideas around this band just sort of manifested themselves as we continued to write and play. We’ve always been honest with our fans and ourselves and we’ve never relied on an image or a gimmick. In that sense, Rise Against is it’s own monster, and we are just vessels of what it’s become. We’ve grown with our fanbase and they’ve played a significant role in fueling what we started years ago.

With the popularity of earlier albums, and an ever-growing diehard fanbase, do you ever find yourselves making decisions/changes because you don’t want to let your fans down?

McIlrath: Our fans mean the world to us, and we trust that they would never want us to compromise anything in our drive to be ourselves and be true to ourselves. Obviously, there are people who don’t always understand that, but I’m not out here trying desperately to please everyone. I’m out here to be myself and to give something back to a scene that gave me so much.

Where’s your favorite place to gig on tour? Chicago, maybe?

McIlrath: We have so many favorites. Chicago is certainly a favorite for obvious reasons. To play on the same stages that we saw so many of our favorite bands play on, that’s a great feeling. Canada, Denver, San Diego, and Australia have shown us a lot of love as well.

What sorts of things outside of music inspire you to do what you do at the moment?

McIlrath: Reading. I think literature is such an important part of life. There’s an endless fountain of knowledge out there and books like Fahrenheit 451 or 1984 have as much to with the person I am as bands like Minor Threat and Black Flag. That’s why there’s a short reading list inside the liner notes of our new record.

Dreams and Devotion: An interview with Strung Out’s Jason Cruz

For almost 30 years, Jason Cruz has been synonymous with the art he’s been crafting. That art of course, is his work as songwriter and vocalist for Simi Valley melodic punk rock outfit Strung Out, who since 1990, have been writing hard-hitting, emotionally-charged music that became part of the wave that brought punk’s into the mainstream consciousness in the mid-1990s. Strung Out’s three albums of that decade, 1994’s Another Day in Paradise, 1996’s Suburban Teenage Wasteland Blues, and 1998’s Twisted By Design, proved to be the perfect answer to those who sought out the deeper underground of punk that bellowed below the surface of Green Day’s Dookie and Offspring’s Smash.

For many listeners like myself, Strung Out and many of their Fat Wreck Chords and Epitaph brethren meant a world of new music wrapped in the subcultures of skateboarding, surfing, punk attitudes, and a vibrant urgency that echoed sounds of rebellion and independence. While pop culture acceptance for just about any form of art and music seems fleeting, Strung Out have never wavered from what they do; now three decades into their history and nine albums deep into an ever-impressive catalog. Songs of Armor and Devotion is perhaps the band’s finest work since they first burst onto the scene. Composed, yet still breathing fire, its tracks still exhibits that “debut album energy” but comes with the benefit of the wisdom of touring, writing, and experiencing the world three decades over.

However, for Jason Cruz, art is more than just Strung Out. He has quietly and not so quietly been honing his craft as an artist and a painter, coming to light on a musical front by painting the cover art to his band’s 2011 “Best Of” albumTop Contenders: The Best of Strung Out, and NOFX’s 2013 EP Stoke Extinguisher. But one look at the wide spectrum of art he’s painted and you can see that it’s more than just album covers. His painted work, like his music, seems to come from the same passion and emotion that drives his lyrics and songwriting. Now he embarks on a new chapter as a children’s book writer, taking inspiration from his daughter to write There Are Such Things As In Your Dreams, a bedtime story born in dreams.

We spoke to Cruz not long after the release of the band’s new album to talk about the long-lasting influence of Strung Out and to discuss his art and how they share the same creative head space. We also spoke about his upcoming art exhibit and his new book and the toll and triumphs of the tour cycle.

Congrats on Songs of Armor and Devotion. It’s stellar work; how do you all feel about the release and response to the record?

Cruz: I’m glad people are digging the tunes. I’m anxious to get em out on the road and see what they turn into. See if I can keep up with RJ. It feels like another new level to explore.

But you’ve been busy with a lot of projects- tell us a little bit about the children’s book you have written? It was inspired by your daughter?

Cruz: The book is called There Are Such Things As In Your Dreams and it’s basically a bedtime story. My daughter just spoke the title one day as we hangin’ out having one of our talks and it stuck. I thought it was the most beautiful thing she ever said.

What’s the story of the book?

Cruz: It is basically a bedtime story trying to explain to a kid what the hell dreams are and how cool they can be. How the adventures you dream at night can only pale to the ones that await you when you wake kinda thing.

How long did it take to write and create the book?

Cruz: I worked on the story, which is more like a poem, and all the illustrations for just over two years. Anywhere I could set up and draw. In between shows, on planes, at the desk at home, wherever. Once I told the kid I was gonna do this book she made sure to ride me pretty hard about getting it done so she could take it to school and read it to the class.

What’s the approach like writing the book in comparison to writing songs for a new Strung Out record?

Cruz: Pretty similar process I guess since they both involve rhythm, flow and the use of imagery and imagination. With a song, it’s a collaborative process. Each member adds an element to construct this thing. With the book, it was all me. Inventing as I went along until I had enough elements to unify the idea as a whole. It’s a lot harder flying blind like that. I guess I kept this first attempt as simple as possible for that reason.

Where can we buy the new book?

Cruz: All the usual modern day outlets like Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Baby. It will also be available on my site as well.

I’m looking at some of your art and I like how different the pieces are. For instance, the difference in emotion, style with pieces like “Choke”, “Rise & Fall”, and “Church Fix”. What are some of the things that inspire your art and what were some of the inspirations behind these pieces?

Cruz: Oh I guess just the love of doing is what really inspires me. To be an artist. To challenge myself. To learn my craft and grow. I could never stick to a certain style or look very long because I’m just too moody I guess. I need the freedom to move around and explore. Always trying ‘get it right’ whatever that means.

“Seconds Before they Collided” by Jason Cruz

Is creating art a completely private and solo process for you?

Cruz: Completely. I guess that’s why it can be so maddening at times and so fulfilling at the same time. Like what nerve do I have to even attempt this?!?! What is this whole art thing?!?! Is this good?!?! And somewhere in between all that doubt, there is joy and fun. Problem solving and improvisation.

What are some of the things when looking back at this 20+ year career with Strung Out do you hold as the most important to you? Is it the records? The consistency with the work or the influence you’ve had for listeners around the globe?

Cruz: To be able to keep living my life in a such a way is all I can ever hope for. Making true connections. As long as I am a good person, as long as I am good to my muse and never take anything for granted and always be awake and alive I am grateful.

Is there one album you look back as particularly important to the band and yourself? Say one that you felt like thing were heading in the right direction?

Cruz: For me, I’d have to say it was the pseudo acoustic record we did called Black Out the Sky. That record was super important in our development as a band and as human beings. It kinda loosened any restraints we thought we had and really showed our fans and ourselves the possibilities of our union as a whole.

I’ve always loved Suburban Teenage and Twisted By Design because I think both records hit at the right time for me (I grew up in Indonesia and discovering your music was a big part in who I was and am); plus I learned that bands could hit hard just as much as they sang with emotion- but I think Songs of Armor and Devotion is very much in the same vein. What was the songwriting process like for Songs of Armor… and when did you guys start writing the record?

Cruz: It all happened really quick. Once we set aside the time to write and record we wasted no time and the ideas all came very fast and effortlessly – for the most part. We had a lot of ‘pent up‘ energy and angst I guess you say.

I love the song “Crows”- did you feel like it was a great stand-alone song- were there reasons why you didn’t want to put it on a record?

Cruz: Who knows? Looking back I don’t even remember. It seemed like it didn’t really fit anywhere but it was too good to just let go, so yeah, that song is kinda like a sad pretty little island.

You’ve got an exhibit coming up in October that will showcase your art and your new children’s book. Is the process of creating a new exhibit the same for you as say, planning an upcoming tour? What can we look forward to at the exhibit?

Cruz: Luckily I have help from some really great people. I’ll be painting up until the last minute so any and all help is greatly needed and appreciated. Along with the illustrations from the book I will also have on display a series of new oil paintings.

Steve Caballero is also part of the exhibit, was it a natural process working together with Steve on this? How did this come together?

Cruz: Steve is a blossoming artist and a great human being. I guess I just got extremely lucky on this one.

Strung Out have a North American tour coming up with The Casualties. How’s life on the road these days, are you guys all still enjoying being on the road?

Cruz: Ask me that on the last week of the tour and you’ll get a different answer than now.

I got to see you guys twice the last couple of times you were down in Australia; will we see you here sometime next year?

Cruz: Yes, I believe something big is in the works for Spring.

Do you have a road map for the next few years or are you happy with playing things as they come?

All Work and All Play: An interview with The Drowns

It’s been a busy year for Seattle punks The Drowns. The band, whose individual histories stretch back some 20 years, are a rough and tumble blend of street punk bravado and positive attitude that found its footing with their 2018 debut album View From the Bottom. With tours, festivals, and new music already checked off in 2019, The Drowns put the “work” in working class rock n’ roll with no rest in sight. Fresh off the release of a new 7″ titled The Sound, the band are prepping for their first ever Japanese tour in October and are working on their new full-length album due in the near future.

On top of the globe trotting, the band will take part in this year’s Rock The Ship Festival, their label’s annual punk rock escapade on the high seas, anchoring a lineup that includes noted bands like Cock Sparrer, CJ Ramone, and Subhumans. We spoke to vocalist Aaron Rev about the new 7″, the terrific street punk anthem “The Bricks of Ol’ Rainier”, and what they’re looking forward to next to cap off an already packed 2019.

I really enjoyed the new 7”- how has the reception been, and how are you guys feeling about these new songs?

Rev: Thanks, I’m glad you enjoyed it. So far, so good. The reception has been incredible. And we love the new songs. We just got back from a month and a half tour, and the new jams went over great.

It sounds like the band is very in tune right now and that things have continued to go strong since the debut album?

Rev: Totally. We also have a pretty intense work ethic, so right when we are finished with something we are already working on what’s next. Just keeping the ball rolling.

The songs on the new 7” SOUND amazing- where did you guys record and produce the record?

Rev: We working with our brother Jesse O’Donnell from the band Noi!se at his studio the Autopsy Room in beautiful Tacoma WA. Working with Jesse was great. He’s a great guy, and a great engineer. He’s really got an ear for this type of music, and he pours his heart in to it.

Rev: I live in the south end of Seattle. Years ago I moved to a neighborhood called Georgetown. It was incredible. Tons of artists living in a kind of shitty area, just for cheap rent so they could keep creating. When I’d first moved there, it really was one of the greatest points in my life. I was surrounded by incredible people who inspired me to create. But, we all started to see the gentrification coming, because nothing that great could last forever. The Georgetown neighborhood has a huge building in the middle of it called Rainier Cold Storage, where they used to make and store Rainier Beer. They ended up tearing part of the building down, and for me that symbolized the beginning of the end of what we had. When they were tearing it down, I broke in at night and stole some bricks for the old building, and when I have them around, they serve as reminders to carry the spirit of what we once had along with me wherever I go.

You’ve been playing a bunch of shows over the last few months- how have they been? How are these new songs translating to the live setting?

Rev: The shows have been CRAZY! We’ve gotten tons of support and a great reception to all of the new material. It was a killer tour.

For those who may not be familiar yet, share with us a little history of the Drowns.

Rev: We were all friends in different bands, and we’ve all been in the game for 15-20 years a piece. Our respective bands started to slow down, so we all decided to start a project together. Also, not many bands we knew of were playing the style we wanted to play. So we got together, started writing, and just haven’t stopped.

Are you guys splitting time between Seattle and LA?

Rev: Our drummer Jake lives in LA so we just fly him back and fourth to accommodate, and we head down there. With the internet, it’s surprisingly easy to keep a long distance band going these days.

Speaking of Seattle, I saw on your Twitter that some of you were at a Sounders game- is soccer the sport of choice for The Drowns?

It’s funny because I felt that “The Bricks of Ol’ Rainier” has that stadium anthem feel to it (at least in my head), that its a great song for thousands of people to sing together.

Rev: Hell ya. I’ve worked with the Sounders in the past with my old band. I’d live to have The Downs work with them. It’d be a perfect fit.

Pirates Press has been releasing some great music this year; you guys are in great company. What were some of the reasons for choosing Pirates Press as the new home for your music?

Rev: First and foremost, they are incredible people over there. You be hard pressed to find any other label active right now that gives a shit as much as they do. They are hands on, they are passionate, and they care about the bands, and the music, and the fans. They are truly a great example of how a label should be run.

You were at Punk Rock Bowling this year- how was it? It’s such a massive looking festival from the outside- Did you guys have fun?

Rev: It was KILLER! The lineup this year was insane. The setup of the festival this year was perfect. And, we were crazy surprised when we started playing at 3:30pm and right after we hit that opening chord and turned around, there was a sea of people! We felt so humbled by how many people cane to see us. It was insane.

Are there already plans for a new full-length to follow View From the Bottom? What are the plans for the rest of the year?

Rev: We are definitely always working. So you can bet that you’ll hear about new material soon. But for now, we are going to hit Europe and Japan later this year. And keep on moving.